Tag: Reflections

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No Such Thing as Failure

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A summer sermon and reflection series following the Psalms and linked verses from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Guest writer: Mimi Otani @ crazyforjazz.wordpress.com.

Read

Genesis 25:19-34

Reflect

Jacob, whose birth is depicted in this passage, is shown great favor by God. He becomes the father of the nation Israel, blessed with many descendants.

One of my Jewish colleagues found this troubling, asking, “Why did God decide to favor Jacob? Jacob’s way of obtaining Esau’s birthright for himself is very underhanded.” It’s a fair question. Unlike Noah, who found favor in God’s eyes through his obedience, Jacob does not seem like a person of virtue. In fact, later on Jacob uses deceptions to expand his wealth and power.

I don’t know why God chose to bless Jacob, but one thing is certain; God’s appointment of Jacob as Israel is NOT earned through Jacob’s personality or righteousness.

God has given us a lot of leeway to exercise our will: to make choices, good or bad. Free will, however, does not mean that we completely control our destiny, nor that we are left at the mercy of someone who is stronger-willed or more powerful than we are. Similarly, if we don’t achieve something, it is not necessarily due to our lack of determination or training. God in his mercy does not leave us to our own devices, nor bless us based on our character or achievements. Through everything we choose to do or not do — or even the things we are not able to choose, but are chosen for us — God is sovereign and will carry out his plans.

God sent his Son Jesus to show us the way and gently teach us his sovereignty. If we believe in God’s mercy through His Son, then we do not have to rely on our own strength, or be afraid of those who are more powerful than we are. God puts us to the test at times, but he also gives us a way out. Remember, his Son came to save the world, not to condemn it (John 3:17). Failure is not in God’s vocabulary.

Reflect

Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law – Psalm 119:109.

Meditate on this verse. Declare your trust in God and his ability to lead you through his Word.

Is there any area of your life where you are trying to take control instead of letting God have his way? Ask God to remind you of his sovereignty and allow you to rest in his mercy.

 

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Freedom in Christ: Psalm 13 and Romans 6

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Day 23 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

From my church’s preaching and reflection series on the Psalms and associated readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. 

Guest writer: Mary Lynn Erigo

Read

Psalm 13

Romans 6:12-23

Reflect

David writes Psalm 13 because his soul is in deep anguish. He cries out to his God: How long will it be until you help me? You know my situation. You know it’s a matter of life and death. You know my pain and my anxiety. I’m crying out to You and yet I hear no answer. Why are mean and uncaring people free from pain and sorrow, while mine are never ending? How long will you let me be hurt by people who hate me?

Isn’t this a prayer that we all cry at times?

David is likely talking about physical enemies, those who would keep him from the throne that God gave him. In Romans 6:12-23, Paul tells us that sin is also our enemy and a matter of life and death. It enslaves us, taking us away from relationship with God and His loving design for our life.

David is led out of his despair by turning to his Lord and reflecting on God’s loving kindness and compassion towards him, every day of his life. He trusts that God has been good to him in the past and will be again. Paul’s words for us are even more encouraging. Christ has delivered us from our slavery to sin and made it possible for us to have eternal freedom with God. As we choose to obey God, rather than our sinful desires, His life continues to grow in us.

Over and over, God rescues us, both body and soul. Lean on Him, wait for Him, trust Him. His love for you is great.

Respond

Take the time now and go to God. Know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He will not abandon you.You are so important to Him that he sent his Son to rescue you.

Whether you are burdened by circumstances, another person, or your own struggles with sin, leave this heavy load at the cross and trust that God will set you free from it when He knows it’s time.

Show Him how much you trust Him in this. Let Him hold you in His arms and bring you through.

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God’s Unrestrained Love

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Day 18 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

Guest writer: Mimi Otani

This post from my church’s summer sermon and reflection series links Psalm 13 and Genesis 22:1-14, two lectionary readings from Sunday, July 2, 2017.

Reflect

God himself calls Abraham a righteous man (Genesis 15:1 – 6). Nevertheless, God commands him to slaughter his own son, Issac. Yet Abraham does not ask questions, but simply prepares to sacrifice Isaac.

Ultimately, God did not require Abraham to complete the sacrifice of his only son. He allowed Abraham to demonstrate faith through his willingness alone. Issac’s sacrifice foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus, for Isaac was Abraham’s son and Jesus is God’s Son. However, God did not spare his only, beloved Son, sending Jesus to die in atonement for the sin of all humanity.

It would be outrageous for us to sacrifice our children as a token of faith in God or in exchange for someone else’s life. Humans are limited by God’s physical laws, by time and space; and our love also has boundaries and limitations. But God’s love is unrestrained and he shows it in ways that are beyond our ability to fathom.

What can we learn from Abraham? We, too, can place our faith in the boundless love of God, even when things don’t seem to make sense or while we’re waiting for God to act. As David sang in Psalm 13:5, we can choose to trust in God’s steadfast love and rejoice in his outrageous gift of salvation.

Respond

Listen to “Stand in Awe,” a song about God’s atoning love for us through Jesus.

Take some time to stand in awe before the Father who loves you more than you can fathom. Give your adoration to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

Note: Mimi Otani’s nonprofit, Crazy4Jazz, brings live jazz shows and other art performances to residents of nursing homes, hospices, hospitals and other institutions while also providing performing opportunities and modest compensation to New York City’s artists.

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Consider the Pandas (They Toil Not, Neither do they Spin)

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I picked up a book once that gave species grades according to their evolutionary fitness. Lions got A+s. They are the alpha predators in their environment, with many food sources that are well suited to their metabolic needs. Males and females have several biological features that maximize reproduction, and prides raise cubs communally, upping their chance of survival.

Pandas got Fs. Barely.

Why, you ask? Well, for several reasons. Pandas depend on a single food source – bamboo – that they digest poorly. Because bamboo isn’t that nutritious for them, they have to eat a lot of it. All the time. They can’t afford to do much else, metabolically speaking. In addition, bamboo forests don’t exist in many places in the world, and that number is shrinking. As a result, most pandas these days live in captivity.

So there’s the food and environment problem.

Then there’s the reproduction problem, which is related to the other problems. Turns out, pandas in captivity aren’t actually that good at a basic requirement for the survival of a species: having babies. Males out of the wild could care less about mating – even Viagra doesn’t do the trick – meaning females have to be artificially inseminated. Even so, female pandas are only fertile once a year, and they produce few pregnancies and even fewer live births. Then, if a mother happens to have more than one cub (two is usually the limit), she will often leave the weaker to die. You can’t blame her – pregnancy for a panda is a state of slow starvation. She can barely eat enough to sustain herself, much less a gestating or nursing cub. Two is too much to ask.

If pandas were ugly, they’d have gone the way of the dodo a long time ago.

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But something about their fluffy roundness, their big black-rimmed eyes, the rollicking way they tumble around without a care in the world triggers all of our protective instincts.

In a way, pandas have become humankind’s adopted babies. We love them, even though they are totally incapable of fending for themselves. We’ve dedicated millions of dollars and decades of advanced animal husbandry and reproductive science to make sure they don’t cheerfully roll themselves out of existence. We tried to give them Viagra, folks.

In the Luke and Matthew, Jesus invites us to “Consider the lilies of the field.” Wildflowers, he tells us, don’t work for their keep; they don’t put any effort into their food, clothing, or any aspect of their existence. They just are, and beautifully so.

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Jesus adds, “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans pursue all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:30-33, Berean Study Bible).

I’ve always loved the analogy in this passage, but I’ve had trouble with it, too. I mean, of course a flower doesn’t have to do anything. It’s a FLOWER.

When I substitute “panda” for “lily,” though, somehow this verse – a gentle admonition to faith, rest, and keeping our priorities in order – sinks in a little more.

Can you picture God as a benevolent panda-keeper, wearing overalls and carrying a basket of bamboo stalks, loving us in our helplessness, and rescuing us from all the ways that we fall short?

All we have to do is put our trust in him.

 

 

Sources (besides the book mentioned in the first paragraph, which I haven’t been able to track down):

Panda image

“Lion Reproduction and Offspring”

“Panda Reproduction”

“Why Panda Mothers Abandon Their Babies” 

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Lilies of the field image

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“But Some Doubted”: Matthew 28

Day 4 of my 30-day blog challenge / Summer in the Psalms

I’m sneaking in today’s post just under the chime of midnight. (I went to see “Wonder Woman,” which was awesome. Then it took us almost 30 minutes to find parking reasonably close to my home, because clubbing season has started in our neighborhood. Not so awesome.) This reflection is from my friend Mercy Perez, one of the writers for my church’s Summer in the Psalms series, which I am editing. Mercy’s reflection doesn’t directly reference this past Sunday’s Psalm, Psalm 8, but instead focuses on the passage from Matthew that was also on the lectionary for Trinity Sunday.

Read

Matthew 28:16-20
28:16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

28:20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Reflect

The disciples have just suffered the loss of their beloved teacher and long awaited Messiah. They were enveloped by all the pain and sorrow the loss of a loved one would cause. With Jesus’ death, they had also lost their expectations of a physical Kingdom of God on Earth.

Then there was a turn of events! The women met and touched a very alive Jesus, and he gave them a message: “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The women delivered Jesus’ messages, and the disciples immediately set off for Galilee. Just as Jesus promised, he was there to meet them.

When the disciples finally saw Jesus,”they worshipped him; but some doubted.”

The phrase “some doubted” intrigues me. Why would someone doubt what is right before them? Did this doubt come from unbelief?

One commentator (Benson) suggests that the disciples “desire that it might be [Jesus], made them afraid it was not.” They wanted so badly for Jesus to be real that they suspected they were imagining him, or being deceived in some other way.

Yet their doubt did not keep Jesus from coming to them. Instead, the revelation of his presence strengthened, empowered and prepared the disciples for their commission “to go and make disciples of all nations” (v.18). Jesus followed up by promising to be with them always, to the very end of the age.

Respond

As a follower of Jesus, his promise that he will always be with me encourages me and gives me hope. Have I experienced moments of doubt, fear, confusion, trepidation? YES! And am I grateful for the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit through those moments? YES!

If you experience moments of doubt or fear or need direction, take a moment to remember you are not alone. He will be with you always, to the very end of the age.

Mercy Perez

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God. Goodness. Generosity: Psalm 8 and Genesis 1 and 2.

For Summer 2017, my church is following the Revised Common Lectionary schedule. Every Sunday, someone will be teaching on the Psalm for a week. Every Monday and Friday, one of four writers from our church will be exploring one of the additional passages from that same week. I’ll be cross-posting my reflections here (and, with permission, also posting reflections from the other writers). For Sunday, June 11, the featured Psalm is Psalm 8, and the first linked reading is from Genesis 1:1-2:4a.

Reflect

Psalm 8 shows God’s incredible vastness and power. At the same time, it shows his care for the smallest and most vulnerable of his creatures. This paradox includes humans, who are both insignificant specks in the cosmos, and beings only a “little lower than the angels,” made for an eternal life in God’s presence.

The beginning of Genesis tells the story of this paradox. God creates order out of chaos. He works day by day, with great detail and love. He builds a beautiful world and fills it with life of every kind.

God displays his generosity at every turn. He doesn’t hoard his life-giving creativity for himself. He gives each living being the ability to create more life. Plants produce more plants; animals have baby animals. And he makes human beings in his own image and gives them authority over everything in this new planet.

God is generous to himself as well. He takes a day to enjoy the goodness of what he has made. Then he again extends his generosity to us. He makes the Sabbath holy, so that we also can have a day of rest and enjoyment.

Respond

Part of being made in God’s image is living this cycle of work and rest, creation and enjoyment. How has God been generous to you? Where are you finding new life and goodness? Where are you creating it?

Throughout this week, consider setting aside time a holy time each day. Take at least twenty minutes out of your busy schedule to enjoy God, the goodness of his creation, and his new life in you.

 

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Like a Woman in Labor

God will say, “I have long been silent;

yes, I have restrained myself. But now,

like a woman in labor,

I will cry and groan and pant.

I will level the mountains and the hills

and blight all their greenery.

I will turn the rivers into dry land

and will dry up all the pools.

I will lead blind Israel down a new path,

guiding them along an unfamiliar way.

I will brighten the darkness before them

and smooth out the road ahead of them . . . 

Isaiah 42:14-16

 

For Lent 2017, my church focused on the Lord’s Prayer. When we explored the first line, “Our Father, Who are in Heaven / Hallowed Be Your Name,” we asked what it means to be invited to embrace God as Our Father, someone who is intimately close to us and yet unimaginably holy: someone infinitely other and set apart.

This passage in Isaiah, however, imagines God not as Father, but as a Mother who is by turns fearsome and tender. God is in labor, but giving birth to tremendous destruction. There’s an almost primal rage in his statement that he has restrained himself until this point, but now gives himself over to his world-unmaking cries and groans. He will raze the enemy’s land to the ground, leaving nothing behind but famine and desolation. No regrets and no mercy. (Note: Pronouns are tricky things. Even though I’m writing about God as Mother, I find myself defaulting to the “he” and “him” I grew up with and feel most comfortable with. But I don’t believe God can be contained or constrained by any one pronoun, or indeed, by any human category or experience.)

Yet in the very next line, this same God displays nothing but tenderness towards “blind” Israel. From his words, I picture a mother leading her child by the hand through a dark night, stopping periodically to clear the path of pebbles or dust, shining a flashlight ahead of her to light the way.

How to connect these two images of God, two very different sides of what is apparently the same coin? I’m not a theologian, but here’s how it makes sense in my head and heart: I imagine what God is offering his people in this passage is permission not to look back, not to remain hostage to the land in which they were held captive. He’s destroying the specter that could haunt them, that could keep them imprisoned in their minds and spirits even as their bodies are newly free. Maybe what God is birthing here – and let’s remember, birth is a violent, messy business! – is a way out of the trauma of the past. Look ahead, God is saying. I’ve made sure there’s nothing behind you that can harm you or keep you trapped in regret and shame. Walk with me into the new life I’m preparing for you. You don’t know what it is yet, but it’s welcoming and full of light . . . 

 

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Saying “No” to “More”

For Lent, our church is studying and meditating on The Lord’s Prayer. I wrote the following thoughts on the section of the prayer that asks, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

When we ask God to “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are asking him to provide “enough for the day” –  to meet all our emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational needs in the moment. The world we live in, by contrast, tells us we need to constantly seek and achieve more: more wealth, more success, more physical beauty, more feelings of affirmation and excitement.

But the problem with “more” is that it can never be achieved. No matter what you have or do, there could always be more – that’s what makes the very concept so seductive and so destructive. When we chase “more,” we are chasing smoke: a future that will never come to pass. All that lies in that direction is frustration, envy, self-condemnation, and despair.

We need God to give us the wisdom and trust to recognize that he has given us enough. When we are able to look around and realize that God has provided us with enough for this day, we can be at peace. Not later, at some future date, but right now, right here, with the gifts, abilities, and relationships that God has given us.

Reflect and Respond

Ask God to show you all the ways he has given you enough for today. It might help you to write everything down in a journal – that way you can go back later, when you need a reminder.

Thank God for giving you enough for today, and ask him to help you resist the siren call of “more.”